renovated 'siji minfu peking chamber' restaurant in beijing exudes raw natural accents

wei wu renovates siji minfu’s peking chamber restaurant

designer wei wu from IN.X strikes again with the recently renovated siji minfu peking chamber – a 1,280 sqm restaurant in hujialou, beijing. within a limited space, the team has created a miniature universe ‘where mountains, rocks, vegetation, stars, and coasts are all emerging indistinctly‘ – giving the catering brand siji minfu yet another breakthrough in the chinese dining culture. today, enveloped by densely arranged black stones, the restaurant frontage silently greets passersby with an impressive visual display. 

all images © zheng yan

injecting raw, natural textures 

for this project, designer wei wu magnifies rough textures to a great extent. once guests enter through the angled and narrow main door, a waiting area welcomes them with a spellbinding staircase hand-made on site using randomly spliced wooden slats that lead to the upper dining area. complementing that striking wooden pattern, wu installed across the restaurant copper panels covered in ‘splashing paint’ effects. those strong textures are accentuated by special blue-purple lighting features – evoking an imaginary world ‘where the rough and raw nature releases its vitality,’ shares the designer.

sliced wooden panels and copper walls with paint splashing effects evoke raw, natural and bold accents

the main dining area is located on the second floor, with a long and narrow landscape feature set in the center of the entire space. both the lush greenery and dark stone surfaces form a strong visual contrast that further emphasizes the relaxing and refreshing effect emanating from the landscaped center. the ‘splashed’ copper panels also find their way into the dining space – injecting vitality and spatial continuity. adding more earthy flair to the design, a large number of chopped wood is piled up inside meshed metal walls that counterbalance the chic table displays. 

the dining area is characterized by a central landscape feature that vividly contrasts the dark stone surfaces

the use of a simple and natural palette, artistic techniques and special lighting makes the entire restaurant stand out. traditional terrazzo and bold hues are matched to appropriately embellish the space, while bright and colorful lights flow from the ground floor to the upper dining area. furthermore, the natural growth of the indoor plants plays on shadow and light, adding an element of surprise and a sense of continuous pumping vitality while diners chat and glasses clink. all in all, traditional chinese designs are married with strong contemporary accents to create a new world within a 1,280 sqm space. 

next to the chic table displays, chopped wood is piled up inside metal mesh walls

the ink splash effect on the bar island echoes the design of the copper façades

the rough textures of the sculptural staircase are accentuated by blue-purple lighting during evening time

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project info:

project name: siji minfu peking chamber / roast duck restaurant (hujialou, beijing) 

project location: beijing, china 

project area: 1,280 sqm

interior design: IN.X

chief designer: wei wu 

completion time: february 2021

design team: qifeng jia, chenyang liu, chenjuan jia

interior furnishings: shengxu jin, jiangli song, zheguang ying 

lighting design: haiyan zhu

photography: zheng yan

project planning: LELE brand strategy 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom